My first interaction with 24 year old Desmond Burkett was purely about Mitten Bites. He was an adroit production manager. He knew his way around the process, from the kitchen to the sales desk. However, it wasn't till much later that I actually found out how far he had come. While we were documenting the process of making Mitten Bites for Detroit Food Academy, I just casually asked him “So how did you get involved with DFA?” His answer definitely took me by surprise and showed me a side if Detroit I hadn't been aware of.

Jen and Noam, the founders of Detroit Food Academy found Desmond when he was sixteen, a self confessed aimless youth. He was the product of an inadequate higher education system. He had dropped out of high school at the age of sixteen. “Meeting Jen and Noam changed my life” he said. They acted as his anchors, and he got involved with DFA’s program. It gave him the direction and purpose that he needed. He stayed involved with DFA, navigating his way around a commercial kitchen, developing the Mitte Bites and learning the ins and outs of sales. It eventually gave him enough confidence to make it out on his own and find his passion. “There was nothing to hold me here anyway. There was nothing the city could offer”. This line said more to me than a heart wrenching story of his teenage. It was the story of hundreds of youth from Detroit. ​

After 3 years he came back because he realized that his calling was the work he did at DFA. He wanted to be involved in the lives of the youth the way Jen and Noam had been in his. He came back and picked up the ropes pretty quickly and was soon production manger. When I asked him if he saw himself staying on with DFA he did pause for a heart beat and then he said yes. Because it had given him more than he could hope for. He wanted to continue the good work and touch lives. I did not get a chance to ask him what social innovation meant to him or if he considered Detroit a reformed city. It was enough for me to realize that social innovation is something that can bring someone back to a place he was desperate to leave and actually want to make a change.

Nalini - what a powerful and telling interaction! It's so valuable to hear people's "stories" and to start to understand the differences in upbringings across the US and around the world. I think that I was fortunate to have close friends growing up who had very different social statuses and abilities / financial freedoms. This helped me realize early on that I have so much to be grateful for and have been afforded many opportunities and liberties that others unfortunately are not.

I took part in DukeEngage myself, in Uganda just 5 years ago. That experience opened my eyes to a world very different from the one we live in at Duke. I hope that you continue to live presently in Detroit and learn as much as you can, while making a great impact and helping those who need it! As much as you are making an impact, keep in mind that the people you are interacting with on a regular basis are most likely having a much bigger impact on you!
~Molly (RP)